Lighting Suggestions

[Ranger]

My dad said he wanted to get me a special light for corals n'stuff for christmas this year. He told me to find otu what kind would be best. So Now I pose the question to you! Keep in mind I live in the U.S., I don't know if that matters. Also I would like to get a good quality powerhead as one of the ones I purchased seems to be sub-par. Thanks!

 

[SkiFletch]

What are the dimensions of the top of the tank and/or what brand is it? Do you have a hood?

 

[Ranger]

Top of tank dimensions are... 24Lx12W(inches). I have a hood, but I'm prolly going to have to get a new one cuz the front half of it is black plastic. I wanna just get a full see through lid.

 

[Ranger]

Bump

 

[callell]

You will need to give us infomation on the types of corals etc you want to keep

 

[Ranger]

You will need to give us infomation on the types of corals etc you want to keep

Therein lies a problem... I don't really know what the diff kinds are, I'll do some research and get back to you! Any info on "beginners corals" would be helpful as well

 

[callell]

most soft corals (not all thought) are begginer friendly, Mushrooms, toadstools, xenia some people say Zoa's are easy but I have had mixed results

At the moment I would stay away from LPS & SPS Corals as some do require more specilized feeding & care

 

[SkiFletch]

While I agree that softies are in general easy to keep, I disagree that LPS are tough. Certain types like Euphylla (frogspawn, hammer, torch, galaxea), bubble, and brain corals are pretty easy if you have decent lighting.

Ranger, I'd first decide what you like and then come ask us what you need to do to take care of it . It may be a challenging specemin, may be easy, or maybe nearly impossible for a beginner, but keep an open mind at first

 

[Ranger]

While I agree that softies are in general easy to keep, I disagree that LPS are tough. Certain types like Euphylla (frogspawn, hammer, torch, galaxea), bubble, and brain corals are pretty easy if you have decent lighting.

Ranger, I'd first decide what you like and then come ask us what you need to do to take care of it . It may be a challenging specemin, may be easy, or maybe nearly impossible for a beginner, but keep an open mind at first

Looked around, I like the hammer, torch or bubble coral (Will clowns host any of these?).

 

[crazyelece]

With that dimension I think T5 HO lights are going to be your best bet. They will have plenty of light output and won't heat the water as much as a Halide setup will.

 

[Ranger]

One like this you mean? Do they have to be on 24/7? cuz I have my SW tank in my room, lol.

http/www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CU01120
EDIT: LOL, forgot to put the link in here...

 

[SkiFletch]

Well you just linked to a maxijet pump

I agree with Crazyelece, a 4xT5 setup spanning the length of your tank is probably the best for you

Some clowns will host Euphylla genus corals. Sometimes the coral is OK with this, and other times it gets irritated and the two need to be separated. No good rule of thumb here though

 

[Ranger]

Well you just linked to a maxijet pump

Huh? I just clicked the link and it took me to the light I was looking at.

EDIT: The one I linked only came with 2 T5 bulbs I think anyways. Also, do they have to be on 24/7?

 

[SkiFletch]

Absoloutely not, lights should be on for ~8 hours a day, max 10 IMO. Make sure you use an auto light timer so that you dont forget to do it yourself. Too much light can be detrimental to corals

 

[Ranger]

Lets give this whole link thing another try....

http/www.amazon.com/24-Nova-Extreme-24W-...p;s=home-garden

Thats the one that I am thinking about getting.